The Stolen Child
by Dorus the Walrus
Summary: Raph is finally the leader, just like he always wanted. Only now, its the last thing he wants to be. Sequel to "To the Waters and the Wild", but can be read on its own.


Author's Note – This can be taken as a sequel to _To the Waters and the Wild_, but it can also be a stand-alone.

**The Stolen Child**

_Away with us he's going,_

_The solemn-eyed –_

_He'll hear no more lowing_

_Of the calves on the warm hillside_

_Or the kettle on the hob_

_Sing peace into his breast,_

_Or see the brown mice bob_

_Round and round the oatmeal chest_

_For he comes the human child_

_To the waters and the wild_

_With a fairy, hand in hand_

_For this world's more full of weeping than he can understand_

Raphael stared into his older brother's face. In the past, Leo could make Raph angrier than any other person on the planet, but he had never hated his brother. Sure, Leo had made Raph want to scream, to break things, to wipe that superior smirk off of his face. But underneath the burning rage there was still love.

Not anymore.

The sight of Leonardo filled Raph with a blackness that at once terrified him and spurred him on. The hatred gave Raph the fuel he needed to survive, to move on. It made him want to _do_ something. More specifically, it made him want to do something to _Leo_.

Raph drew back his hand and backhanded his older brother across the face. Raph watched with something akin to glee as his brother's face flung to the side with a loud crack.

Leo blinked.

Raph growled in frustration. That was the extent of Leonardo's reaction. Blinking was the only thing that Leo did anymore. _Catatonia_ is what Don had called it.

When Leo and Don had arrived back at the lair about a month ago, carrying the lifeless body of their youngest brother between them, he had seemed fine. Horrifyingly fine. He told his brother and father what had happened in a simple monotonous tone that would have been more appropriate if he had been describing the events of a routine training run. Then, while the others had been too consumed in their grief to notice, Leo had went into his bedroom, sat down in his usual lotus position, and simply… slipped away.

It had taken two weeks for Raph to notice anything. Raph had holed himself up in his own room after learning that Mikey, his Mikey, his little, funny brother had _died_. He went through all five of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The only time he left his room was in the middle of the night to teach every single Foot ninja what it was like to _hurt_. He did this almost every night. Unsurprisingly, he kept redoubling back to Stage 2: Anger.

But then he became more aware of his family – his surviving family. Splinter had been forced to take care of Leo and Don on his own; he had to postpone his own mourning to ensure the continued survival of his other sons. The result left him feeling… old and tired. Leo refused to leave the safety of his own mind and Don…

After a month, Donnie remained squarely in Stage 1: Denial.

Don refused to leave his lab, and spent his days repairing Mikey's Gameboy. Mike had asked Don to fix it the day before he died, and Don zealously worked on it as though he thought Mike was going to come storming into his lab, demanding to know if he had finished it yet and threatening to annoy him if he wasn't done. Raph secretly believed that every time he completed this task, Don would simply break the Gameboy all over again.

At Mikey's funeral, Splinter had told Raph that he would now have to shoulder the burden of leading their family. Raph hadn't paid attention, hadn't understood. He was still too filled with his own sorrow to realize what was happening around him.

He understood now though. Everyday, Raph would mediate Splinter; ease his father and sensei through his own grief. He would spoon-feed Leo soup so his lost brother wouldn't waste away while... lost somewhere. He would forcefully drag Don out of his lab, make his younger brother spar with him until Donnie was too tired to fight off sleep. And at night, he would roam the streets, protecting those who needed protection.

Raphael was finally the leader and he _hated_ it.

Staring at Leo's face, still leaning awkwardly to the side from the slap he had received, something inside of Raph broke. With a mangled sob, Raph gently tilted Leo's head until it was in an upright position once more. He threw his arms around his older brother, gripping him tightly as the tears flowed freely.

_Where did you go?_


End file.
